Purpose: This paper aims to describe a working routine for the analysis of audio-visual documents for serving the needs of television journalists. Design/methodology/approach: A description in the form of a synthesis is given of the process by which television information must be put at the user's disposal with a response that is both fast and exhaustive. Findings: In television, there is a need to adapt the habits and methods of documentation to the productive processes of journalists in order to attain the common goals of information retrieval and reuse of the documents. Research limitations/implications: The main drawback of using this working method lies in the intensive use of large numbers of personnel with knowledge in specific areas. Practical implications: Well-designed hypermedia management based on knowledge of the creation processes in television will allow the construction of an information management system that adds value to the documents that have been analysed and facilitates the organisation's creation of future audio-visual products. Originality/value: It is hoped that readers use this paper in a critical spirit to adapt it to their own particular requirements, and to serve as a guide both for setting up a document/information system and for organising such departments within the TV industry.